stars, hide your fires
by Immoroita
Summary: when the two of them walk in the door together, mr. wright says loudly that the poster children for 'opposites attract' have just entered the building, and does anyone want autographs?


**Foreword: **There's established-relationship-Cykesquill in this, but the story isn't built around it. It's just there.

* * *

When the two of them walk in the door together, Mr. Wright says loudly that the poster children for 'opposites attract' have just entered the building, and does anyone want autographs?

Athena appears to like the new title and grins brightly. Simon grunts and looks sulky.

Mr. Wright laughs and adds that they aren't helping to disprove his point.

Simon is only just getting used to the Wright Anything Agency. He's heard plenty of things about Apollo and Mr. Wright at the Prosecutor's Office, like how they're two of the best defense attorneys in the industry, but you'd never be able to tell from looking at their office.

He'd found it odd that, when he was invited to dinner, it was supposed to take place at their office, but he hadn't questioned it.

Now, looking at it, it makes sense, since it's more of an apartment.

Sidestepping Trucy and Apollo's game of chess (it looks like Trucy's winning, much to Apollo's chagrin), he sits down on one of the couch (yes, _one of,_ as though one isn't enough for an office) and reaches up idly to stroke Taka, who squawks and flies off to sit on top of the dust-covered piano.

Simon asks why exactly they have an unused piano taking up space, if this is a law office, and Trucy explains absentmindedly that no, the Wright Anything Agency isn't _just _a law office; they're a talent agency too, and the piano is a special memory, even if her daddy stopped playing piano when he got his badge back. Also, checkmate!

Apollo groans in exasperation as Trucy applauds herself and yells out to her daddy that she beat Polly again. Mr. Wright calls back that it isn't that difficult to beat Apollo, but good job anyway!

Athena flops down on the couch next to Simon and counters that even if Apollo stinks at chess, he's pretty good at lawyer-ing, and nobody knows that better than Simon. They all look at him expectantly, waiting for his judgment.

Simon personally thinks that Mr. Wright is a better lawyer than Apollo is, at least for now, but agrees that yeah, Apollo is pretty good at lawyer-ing, to satisfy Athena.

As soon as the chess game is cleared up, Trucy literally hops out in front of Simon, producing a pair of blue panties covered in bright red hearts, and asks cheerfully if he wants to see a cool magic trick. Before he can say anything, she's already pulled an entire lamp out of her panties and handed it to him, saying that he can keep it. Simon ends up leaving the lamp on their coffee table, because he has absolutely no idea what he'd do with it.

Trucy asks him if he liked the trick, and he simply shrugs in response, prompting an irritated pout. She puts her hands on her hips and asks why not. Simon just gives her another shrug.

It's a lucky thing, then, that Athena, on the other hand, seems to enjoy the trick immensely, and asks if Trucy can pull _anything_ out of her panties. Trucy immediately produces an attorney's badge and tosses it over to Athena with a grin. Closer inspection reveals that it does, indeed, belong to Athena. The yellow-clad attorney gets incredibly excited at seeing this and asks Trucy very seriously if her magic panties can make money.

Trucy hesitates, but takes out twenty dollars anyway and hands it to Athena, who gets even more excited and shouts a lot about this being revolutionary, and how poverty is finally ended.

As Apollo puts his head in his hands and Trucy laughs at him, Simon neglects to point out that Athena's pocket is missing the twenty dollars she put in earlier. He lets her have her fun, because he never tires of her smile.

* * *

The burgers that Mr. Wright makes for dinner are spectacular. Athena asks through a huge mouthful how he learned to make such good burgers, and can she have another one? Mr. Wright smiles as though he's enjoying an inside joke and simply says that he's very good friends with someone who would probably take a bullet for burgers, and that yes, Athena can have another, although four is probably a world record for most burgers eaten in one sitting, he jokes.

Athena seems excited at this prospect and asks Widget to Google the world record for most burgers eaten in one sitting.

There's a short lull before Apollo suddenly asks why anyone would shoot a burger in the first place. Then he flinches as Trucy kicks him under the table and calls him a buzzkill.

Mr. Wright says that if someone shot a burger, it still wouldn't be the strangest case he's ever worked on, and Apollo agrees a little too quickly.

Athena takes a pause from her ravenous rampage to explain to Simon that Apollo is probably Mr. Wright's biggest fan, and that he's read every single one of Mr. Wright's old case files. Apollo's face changes color so dramatically that it starts to match his vest. Simon smirks at him from across the table.

Mr. Wright chuckles and Trucy says that she's not surprised – her daddy is the best defense attorney in the whole world! Athena proclaims that she's going to take that title one day, and shoots Trucy a peace sign. Apollo has no chance, she adds, because 'pretty good' is not 'extraordinary', like her.

As Apollo retaliates heatedly, Simon finds it strange, how the four of them came to find each other and form their own little family, but he supposes the best family is the one you choose.

After dinner is over and Athena's finished her fifth burger, a game of rock-paper-scissors decides that Simon is the one who has to clean up. He grumbles but does it with the utmost accuracy and efficiency, because a samurai is nothing if not accurate and efficient.

He puts everything on the drying rack, stays behind in the kitchen to rearrange some things (Mr. Wright's skills in the courtroom apparently don't apply everywhere else), and heads back.

Simon returns just in time to see Trucy snap her fingers and make red roses pop out of the demon spikes that are Apollo's hair.

Athena and Mr. Wright applaud and Apollo splutters. Simon can't help but laugh as Trucy picks the roses out, skillfully fashions them into a neat bouquet, turns, and hands them to Simon with a flourish and a bow.

Simon gives Athena the bouquet, since he has no need for red roses. Apollo speculates that Simon probably just doesn't want his dark and depressing reputation to be tarnished by pretty flowers, which Simon claims is only partially true.

When the clock strikes ten, Simon decides that it's time for him to take his leave. He has to physically pull Taka away from the potted plant that Mr. Wright calls 'Charley'. His eagle nips him on the ear in her annoyance as she perches herself on his shoulder.

Athena gives him a quick kiss and thanks him for the flowers, even if he didn't buy them for her. Trucy insists that her flowers as just as good as any store-bought flowers – perhaps even better, she adds as an afterthought, because they're magical.

Before he leaves, he asks why exactly the four of them have to live in the same apartment, and don't they have their own homes? Mr. Wright says that all of their homes just happen to be the same one. Trucy jokingly chastises her daddy for trying to be funny.

Apollo is a little more helpful, and explains that he and Athena were both pretty down on their luck before they joined the Anything Agency, and Mr. Wright was kind enough to offer them lodging.

Funny, Simon says wryly, but Mr. Wright doesn't strike him as the 'kind' type. Mr. Wright doesn't get offended; rather, he laughs, and admits that defense lawyers don't make very much, especially not them, and that he let them live here because he didn't want to have to pay them properly. Apollo looks as though his entire world has just been turned upside down.

Athena says mischievously that if Simon is thinking of moving in, Mr. Wright has his own room, she and Trucy are sharing a room, and the guest room's already been filled by Apollo, but he's free to sleep on one of the couches, if he wants.

Simon says that he'd never even consider such a thing, says his goodbyes, and shuts the door behind him.

He remains just outside their apartment for a little while, listening to the muffled sound of speech punctuated by occasional laughter, before finally heading down the hall with a small smile on his face.

Maybe, one day, he'll be a part of their family, too.

(But not if he has to sleep on their couch.)


End file.
